Chapter 192: 186: A Completely Different War

Chapter 192: Chapter 186: A Completely Different War

Time came to May 1904.

The issuance of the new currency was very successful. Although only a little over a week had passed, more than two million pounds worth of new currency, that is, Australian dollars, had been circulated.

This currency issuance was carried out nationwide in a unified manner, allowing people to freely choose their own salary payment methods, and both the pound and Australian dollar became one of the recognized payment methods of the Federation.

Within Australia, many people have chosen to receive their salaries in Australian dollars.

They have great trust in the current government and Arthur, and naturally recognize the new currency issued by the royal family.

Even within Australia, many collectors have emerged, as they firmly believe that the limited number of commemorative currencies may have collectible value in the future, something the current pound does not have.

According to the news currently received from various royal banks of the Federation, approximately one million Australian dollars, thirteen million shillings, and forty-two million pennies have been exchanged, and half of them are now in circulation in the market.

This is good news for Australia, the New Zealand Federation, and Arthur.

The Federation can now preliminarily break away from the economic control of the British Empire and have its own new currency.

As for Arthur and the royal family, these currencies are issued by the royal bank, which means that the national financial power is currently in the hands of the royal family, an important means of consolidating royal power.

With financial power, military power, and popular support all in Arthur’s hands, as long as Arthur is in power for a day, there will be no forces or individuals with the power to challenge the royal family within the Federation.

Compared with the political figures in Australia, the war in the Far East is much more fierce than in history.

Due to Arthur’s indirect intervention, both sides in the war have more advanced weapons and equipment, including large-scale lethal artillery and heavy machine guns. Both the Russian Empire and the Island Nation have equipped more of them.

After the previous Battle of Port Arthur, the sea has resumed a brief calm for the Island Nation.

Major General Makarov maintained his plan, with occasional sightings of warships departing from Port Arthur, performing covert missions.

The tranquility of the ocean also means the cruelty on land.

Since March 21, 1904, when the First Army of the Island Nation landed in Nampo, Korea, the Island Nation’s land forces remained relatively inactive.

The main reason for this was that the Island Nation’s army was waiting for the navy’s action – only when the navy had an advantage and used its powerful ship guns could the fortress of Port Arthur be threatened.

But the development of the situation was beyond the Island Nation’s expectations, as the naval battle did not achieve victory and, in fact, the Island Nation failed in the naval battle.

But the war on land could not stop, as maintaining such an army scale was a huge consumption for both sides.

In mid-April, the First Army of the Island Nation arrived in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula.

On the opposite side, responsible for defense was the East Manchuria Command of the Russian Empire, led by Commander Zasulich.

There were about 30,000 soldiers in the Island Nation’s First Army, and nearly 20,000 in the East Manchuria Command.

This has led to the current extravagant equipment of the Fourth Infantry Division, where everyone is armed with the German-made Gew98 Rifle and has more than twenty CA-1 machine guns, fifteen 105mm howitzers, and other guns.

In mid-May, the Island Nation’s Second Army and the Russian Fourth Infantry Division successfully encountered each other and quickly engaged in battle.

Whether it was firepower or the scale of troops, the Island Nation’s Second Army had an ample advantage.

Major General Augustine Walters thought the same way. As the commander of the Second Army, he seemed to have seen the opportunity to attack Port Arthur, so he ordered all four divisions to press on, intending to quickly resolve the defensive forces in the northern part of Port Arthur.

At the beginning of the battle, the Island Nation’s artillery successfully suppressed the artillery of the Russian Empire.

The soldiers of the Island Nation also approached the Fourth Infantry Division very smoothly. The troops on both sides were even able to see each other’s ferocious faces and smoke-dust-laden hair.

“Fire at full force!”

With General Fawkes’s command, the guns from Australia fired successfully. Under the guidance of the CA-1 machine gun, the Russian artillery regained its advantage, and consecutive shell explosions occurred in the Island Nation’s troops, causing heavy casualties among the islanders.

“Damn it! Where did these Russians get so many guns? Such concentrated firepower must come from at least a thousand guns.” In the distance on the battlefield, Major General Augustine Walters stared at the exploding artillery fire in horror, asking in disbelief.

Unfortunately, no one could answer his question, as none of the islanders had ever seen such dense artillery fire, and no one even thought to order the withdrawal of the army quickly.

Actually, this is normal since the current fully automatic technology is basically only used for firearms, with machine guns being the best example of fully automatic technology.

At present, only France and Australia have mastered the technology of automatic artillery, and at most Germany as well.

However, France is an ally of the Russian Empire, and Germany supports the Russian Empire’s expansion in the Far East. As for Australia, it goes without saying that without Arthur’s orders, it would not export any domestically-produced weapons.

Currently, Germany’s public weapons arsenal does not have the option of automatic artillery, and all the weapons imported by the Island Nation come from the technology of the Krub Factory, with 75mm and 105mm howitzers.

All these guns have one thing in common: they are relatively slow to fire. Within a minute, at most, they can fire less than ten shells.

However, the firing rate of the CA-1 machine gun reached a terrifying sixty rounds per minute, which is a difference of six or seven times.

It was precisely because of the crazy bombardment from the CA-1 machine gun that Major General Augustine Walters had the illusion that the Russian army opposite had thousands of artillery guns.

By the time Major General Augustine Walters reacted, it was too late. At the moment, in order to resolve the battle quickly, the Island Nation’s army had rushed forward, with very close gaps between the troops.

This allowed the CA-1 machine gun to play a significant role. Although its relative power was not so great, each shell was enough to cause varying degrees of damage to enemies within five meters.

Moreover, each round of the CA-1 machine gun fires multiple shells, and many island nation soldiers were hit by multiple shells before they could react.

The war ended in the sound of the Pacific Squadron’s ship guns. Unlike the original history, the Pacific Squadron was still able to maintain parity with the United Fleet, so the Island Nation’s army did not receive naval gun support, but instead, the Russian army received naval gun support from the Pacific Squadron.

Ship guns, especially those on firepower-dependent battleships, have large calibers of over 200 millimeters and in some cases reach a terrifying 300 millimeters.

Such large-caliber guns are a scourge for infantry, and many can only watch as the front black spot grows larger and larger before being engulfed in the white smoke.

General Makarov unleashed all his anger from the last naval battle this time. This time, a total of two battleships were dispatched, firing over one hundred naval shells.